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Customs and Border Protection: $6.8 million worth of marijuana seized in Nogales

Customs and Border Protection: $6.8 million worth of marijuana seized in Nogales
Posted at 3:47 PM, May 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-15 19:23:45-04

Authorities say nearly seven tons of marijuana was seized from a commercial tractor trailer during a stop on Saturday near the border.

A release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection says officers at the Mariposa Commercial Facility referred a semi carrying bell peppers for further inspection. The produce was off-loaded from the truck, and a narcotics detection canine alerted law enforcement to the presence of drugs.

During a search, CBP says 13,700 pounds of marijuana was found commingled with the peppers.

The drugs have an estimated value of $6.85 million and the 46-year-old driver, who is from Mexico, was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

In a separate incident later in the day, authorities at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing found 34 pounds of cocaine inside the SUV of a 29-year-old Mexican man. The drugs are estimated to be worth nearly $386,000.